


DTR (Define the Relationship)

by Skyler10



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Pete's World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 16:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7647856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyler10/pseuds/Skyler10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tentoo says the g-word for the first time, leading to their first "DTR" (define the relationship) talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	DTR (Define the Relationship)

**Author's Note:**

> Though I’ve seen many different and vague interpretations as to the meaning of this day (i.e., it is platonic or not), this fic was inspired by the announcement that Aug 1 is National Girlfriend Day. So let’s pretend this is a very non-platonic thing in Pete’s World, regardless of what it means here.

Since coming home together from the beach, Rose and the Doctor had settled into a comfortable domestic life. Well, domestic in the sense that they lived together and did happy little couple-ish things together. Otherwise, their days were filled with plenty of adventures and aliens and saving the day in their work for Torchwood and their own independent penchant for trouble.

Since their time machine spaceship was still coral in an incubator, they came home to an ordinary flat with windows and carpets and doors. But they were discovering that the quiet evenings cuddled up together were far from boring. Those nights were just what they needed to reconnect after years apart.

It was one such cozy evening, watching some sit-com that neither was really concentrating on, that he popped the question. Well, maybe not THE question, but the most immediate one.

“Rose?” he asked, tracing his fingertips over her arm.

“Mmhm?” She nuzzled against his shirt.

“You’re my girlfriend… right?” He held his breath as she stiffened and pulled away to read his expression.

“Yeah, of course.” A little smile played at her lips. “I mean, if you want me to be?”

The inquisitive raise of her eyebrow told him further explanation was needed.

“Due to the misfortunate lack of terms to describe relationships in the English language, I’d say… yes. I’d like to be able to introduce you as my girlfriend, if that’s alright.”

Understanding dawned on Rose as he revealed why he was asking.

“Are you upset I didn’t introduce you as my boyfriend to the Torchwood team from Wales the other day?”

The Doctor squirmed as he backtracked.

“No! Certainly not _upset_ , per se. Just curious. You introduced me as your Doctor, which is entirely accurate. But there was a bit of a pause in between the ‘ _my’_ part and the ‘ _um,_ _I mean,_ _the Doctor_ ’ part so I just wondered if you were thinking of adding another word there and didn’t for some reason.”

“Maybe I was and didn’t know what to call you. Boyfriend seems so…”

“Juvenile?”

“Yeah. But like you said, that’s really the only word for it. _Partner_ is a little vague, _lover_ is just over the line--” She paused as the Doctor waggled his eyebrows at this one. “And _significant other_ sounds like I’m filling out paperwork or something.”

“Given this some thought, have you?” he teased. “Been drawing little hearts on your notebooks, Rose Tyler? R plus D equals forever?”

“Well, now you’re never going to get to see them,” she teased back, shaking her head in mock resolve.

“You have to show them to me if I’m your boyfriend.” He donned his expert face for good measure.

“Where’d you read that? The boyfriend handbook?”

“Maybe I did.” He was still joking, but she caught a hint of something in the way he wouldn’t look her in the eye.

“You DID read some boyfriend handbook,” she marveled. “Or at least researched the subject. Didn’t you? You’ve been googling this, haven’t you?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to ask you to be my girlfriend if I didn’t know how to be a human boyfriend, now, was I?”

Rose smiled and relaxed back against him.

“Doctor?” she asked after a long pause.

“Mmhm?” He resumed tracing his fingers across her skin.

“I don’t want a human boyfriend. I just want you.”

“I love you too, Rose.”


End file.
